Fenwick Leads the Green Way With Electric Vehicle Charging Station

Fenwick is the first law firm in the U.S. to install the stations, said Julie O’Loughlin, senior director of operations and facilities. And they’re just part of the firm’s long-term strategy to help the environment.

“The stations have been on our to-do list for years,” O’Loughlin said. “We’d like to think we’re a little ahead of the curve.”

The firm moved its headquarters to downtown Mountain View in 2002 in part because the location is easily accessible to public transportation. The firm already reimburses staff members who commute to work via public transportation, and it reserves five percent of its parking spaces for hybrid and carpool vehicles.

Its offices in Mountain View and Seattle are both LEED certified. Meanwhile, Santa Clara County has declared the firm an environmentally sustainable “Green Business.”

“It’s not just about being green,” O’Loughlin said. “It’s about being sustainable, and investing in local communities.”

That’s why lawyers and staffers aren’t the only people allowed to use the stations. Clients and the general public will have access, too.

Mark Ostrau, co-chair of the firm’s cleantech group, predicts there’ll be plenty of competition to use the stations in the coming years. One Fenwick partner already drives an electric car, and several attorneys are on waiting lists to buy one next year.

“My wife and I have already decided our next car will definitely be an electric,” Ostrau said. “We’ll see if two stations is enough in five years.”

(Ed. Update: Fenwick & West is in good company, The Recorder has just learned. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati installed three charging stations for electric cars at its Palo Alto headquarters in 2008.)